Jessey Wade (2 December 1859 – 1952) was an English

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

and campaigner for

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

, known for founding the

Cats Protection League Cats Protection, formerly the Cats Protection League, is a UK charity dedicated to rescuing and rehoming stray, unwanted or homeless cats and educating people about cats and cat welfare. The organisation was founded as the Cats Protection Leag ...

(now known as Cats Protection). She co-founded a number of other animal welfare organisations and helped create and was editor of the feminist gender studies journal ''

Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...

''.

Life and work

Wade was friends with fellow animal welfare campaigner

Ernest Bell Ernest Thomas Bell (31 March 1880 – 2 May 1930) was a pastoralist and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Biography Bell was born in Camboon, Queensland, to parents John Thomas Marsh Bell and his wife Gertrude Augusta (née Nor ...

and worked for him as a personal secretary until his death in 1933. As members of the Animals' Friend Society, Bell edited the journal ''The Animals' Friend'' and Wade became editor, after

Edith Carrington Edith Carrington (1853–1929) was a prominent English animal rights activist and promoter of vegetarianism. She was for sometime an artist, but began to write books on animals from 1889. She was a vocal opponent of Eleanor Anne Ormerod's campaig ...

, of its sister journal intended for children, ''The Little Animals' Friend''. Wade published a number of pamphlets as part of the society's A. F. pamphlet series, including ''Cruelties in Dress'', ''Mother Love in the Animal World'', ''Fur Coats'', ''Hats and the Woman'', ''Little Father Christmas'' and ''Winter Cruelties''. Wade was Honorary Secretary of the Children’s Department for the

Humanitarian League The Humanitarian League was a British radical advocacy group formed by Henry S. Salt and others to promote the principle that it is wrong to inflict avoidable suffering on any sentient being. It was based in London and operated between 189 ...

, from 1906 until 1919. In 1916, she co-founded ''

'', a journal which formed part of a campaign to erase all distinctions based on gender. In 1927, Wade was the organiser of a meeting in

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and art ...

, London, which established the Cats Protection League. She edited the Cats Protection League's journal, ''The Cats' Mews-Sheet''. In the same year, Wade co-founded, with Ernest Bell and

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

, the

League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports The League Against Cruel Sports, formerly known as the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports, is a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to stop blood sports such as fox hunting, hare and deer hunting; game bird shooting; and anim ...

and in 1932, the National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports. She was also a member of the

Women's Freedom League The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access ...

, Pit Ponies' Protection Society, Performing and Captive Animals' Defence League. In 1935, she gave a speech for the Humane Education Society in Manchester. In 1948, she retired from editing ''The Little Animals' Friend'', after having worked on it for 50 years''.'' Wade died in 1952, aged 92.

Contributions to animal organisations

Wade founded and made significant contributions to a number of animal advocacy organisations: * Humanitarian League (Honorary Secretary of the Children’s Department from 1906 until 1919) * Pit Ponies' Protection Society (active member) * Performing and Captive Animals' Defence League (co-founder with Ernest Bell and

) * League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports (now known as the League Against Cruel Sports; co-founder with Ernest Bell and John Galsworthy) * National Society for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (co-founder with Ernest Bell and John Galsworthy) * Cats Protection League (now known as Cats Protection; co-founder) * Humane Education Society (Vice-President of the Council for Protection of Animals)

Publications

Pamphlets

* ''Cruelties in Dress'' (London: Animals' Friend Society, 1912) * ''Mother Love in the Animal World'' (London: Animals' Friend Society) * ''Fur Coats'' (London: Animals' Friend Society) * ''Hats and the Woman'' (London: Animals' Friend Society) * ''Little Father Christmas'' (London: Animals' Friend Society) * ''Winter Cruelties'' (London: Animals' Friend Society)

Books

* ''The Animals' Friend Cat Book'' (London: G. Bell and Sons, 1917)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Jessey 1859 births 1952 deaths British animal welfare workers British vegetarianism activists English feminists English suffragists Founders of charities Organization founders Women of the Victorian era